K'mpec

Notes

K'mpec was Chancellor of the Klingon High Council in the 2360s, and the longest serving Chancellor in Klingon history to that point.2 In 2366 he conspired with Duras to blame Worf's father Mogh for the destruction of the Khittomer outpost in 2346, alleging that Mogh had assisted the Romulans in their attack on the planet. In fact is was Duras's father Ja'Rod who had betrayed the Empire, but K'mpec felt that this fact could not be revealed as the Duras family were too politically powerful to be disgraced in this way. K'mpec believed that Worf had foresaken his Klingon heritage and would thus be unwilling to defend his father's honour, making him a safe scapegoat for the crime.3

He was mistaken in this belief, and Worf did indeed return to the Klingon homeworld to defend his father. Although he ultimately produced proof of his father's innocence, K'mpec pressured Worf into keeping the secret and going along with the cover-up, stating that the alternative would be a Klingon civil war that would kill countless people. Worf thus accepted discommendation, the removal of his family honour.3

In 2367 K'mpec contacted Captain Picard to reveal that he had been poisoned with Veridium 6, a slow acting toxin which had damaged his health beyond repair. K'mpec asked Picard to officiate of his death and the choice of a successor, hoping that Picard's non-Klingon status would allow him to be unaffected by Klingon politics. He was especially concerned that a person who was willing to use a dishonourable weapon such as poison should not be allowed to succeed him. K'mpec died shortly afterwards. The poisoner was never conclusively revealed, although subsequent events made it seem likely that Duras was responsible.2